Strong Female Relationships
It’s an amazing thing when I walk away from a conversation which makes me feel “full”!
I’ve always believed that we must nurture those relationships where our time spent with someone leaves us feeling fulfilled. It doesn’t mean that the topics are always positive or uplifting, but we feel we helped, or were helped in some form or another. In order to truly serve other women in the community we have to believe in our own self worth. For some people this takes time and intensive soul searching to know that they bring something of value to the table. When I share with people my perception of their positive and admirable attributes, I find it very moving. It doesn’t always have to be earth-moving, life-changing, or profound, but I quickly realized that when put it into practice, I have the ability to bring out the best in those around me. Even when I have a great sense of who someone is and what they stand for, it can still exert a positive influence when someone they respect and admire sees something in them of which they were previously unaware. If women could all focus on building each other up in this way, I think that we would be unstoppable.
I’m happy to find as I’ve aged, that I’ve gravitated towards positive, uplifting women. When I was younger I often wondered if I would ever have strong female relationships, as I always connected much better with men. My role models as a child were always men; I wanted to do “man” things. Now as a mother and a grandmother, I am happy to know that I can do whatever I wish – things are not so gender specific. And that women have a level of understanding and compassion which I appreciate and require in my life. We’re not in competition; we are here to bring out the best in one another.
My desire is to spend the rest of my days looking for the value in those around me, and conveying it in such a manner that people are better for having spent time with me.
Written by: Jodi Clark
Photo Credit: Meghan Manzo